Former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi has been appointed Bangladesh's spin-bowling coach. Joshi, who has signed a short-term contract, arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday, joined the side ahead of the two-Test series against Australia and began working with the bowlers.

Joshi's appointment comes as a surprise after the BCB had announced on July 30 that former Australia legspinner Stuart MacGill was their first choice for the spin-bowling coach's role. But the talks between MacGill and the BCB did not materialise,which led the board to pursue Joshi, who had been part of discussions for the role earlier this year.

In February, when Bangladesh toured India for a one-off Test, Anil Kumble, the then India coach, had suggested Joshi's name to some board directors who then spoke to him in Hyderabad, but Joshi's appointment did not materialise at the time.

Joshi made his international debut in 1996 and took 110 wickets in a career spanning 15 Tests and 69 ODIs. He ended his first-class career in 2011 with 615 wickets in 160 matches.He subsequently coached domestic teams Hyderabad in 2011, Jammu & Kashmir in 2014, and Assam in 2016. He had also served as Oman's spin-bowling coach in the World Twenty20 in India in 2016.